It’s happened again: the urge to press pause on my normal everyday life and travel somewhere new has crept up on me. That wanderlust feeling I had before disappeared while I was trying to get my life back on track this time last year – and now it’s back bigger than ever! I know this not just because I’ve already booked two solo trips for myself, but also with the types of places I want to go changing. No more beach holidays for me, it’s city breaks all the way!
I’ve been scrolling through Instagram and my favourite travel blogs for some inspiration and wow there are some beautiful cities in Europe. Not that I doubted it but I do think I’ve underestimated places that are only an hour or two plane journey away from me.
Sadly I won’t be able to go everywhere because of responsibilities and money (how inconvenient) so here are 5 cities I’m hoping to explore this year. I’m allowed to dream right?
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
I’ve contemplated visiting Amsterdam a couple of times and I want 2018 to be the year I make it happen! Funnily enough, I’m off to Rotterdam in May for the Traverse 18 conference which hopefully means I can catch the train to Amsterdam while I’m there. Everyone I’ve spoken to who’s been there has raved about their food, canal cruises and museums. It honestly sounds too good to resist and the thought of doing a double city trip makes me feel like a travel pro!
Wroclaw, Poland
Now if I would have said to myself a year ago that I would want to go to Poland someday I would have been pretty surprised. Mostly because I couldn’t even name their capital city back then, let alone want to go anywhere else there. It wasn’t till I saw Kirsty Leanne‘s trip back in January that I realised I had to go. Her gorgeous photos of Market Square reminded me of Nyhavn in Copenhagen and the food there are things I’ve never seen before! She’s not joking when she says it’s an Instagram worthy place to visit either.
Dublin, Ireland
This city is a little closer to home in more ways than just distance. My Dad’s side of the family are from Ireland which you would have thought meant I had been there plenty of times before. I’ve actually one been there once and that was nearly 10 years ago! Maybe I’ll pop over one weekend and squeeze in a trip to Dublin while I’m there. I’ve heard it’s a great place for shopping and eating out! Hmm, there seems to be a bit of a theme going on here..
Rome, Italy
Last year I spent my 23rd birthday at work. I was okay with it as I hadn’t long started the job and it was surprisingly the first time I had ever worked on my birthday. This year, however, I want to take Alex and I somewhere different and romantic hence where Rome comes into it! His birthday is only a couple of weeks before mine so this could make a great joint birthday treat for the both of us. It’s not booked yet but fingers crossed we’ll be drinking wine, eating gelato sometime during the Summer whilst looking at the beautiful architecture Rome has to offer!
Edinburgh, Scotland
The one trip that has been booked is my first solo getaway of the year to Edinburgh at the end of this month! So far I have Edinburgh Castle, The Writer’s Museum and a few Harry Potter themed hotspots on my itinerary and my excitement for this is building up every day! I’ve even managed to sort out brunch with Fiona on my last day – just some of the perks of having blogger friends across the country!
Okay, so my travel list for 2018 is perhaps a little overambitious but I’m determined to tick off most of these by the end of the year. If you have any recommendations for any of these places of things to do then let me know in the comments! Otherwise, I hope you found me waffling on about my desperate need to travel at least a little amusing.
How exciting, and sounds like great places to check out. I at one point caught the travel bug myself after visiting Italy with my Aunt- the trip of a lifetime-. Which while Rome was neat to see; I also enjoyed seeing Southern Italy into Tuscany! 😍
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I can imagine after visiting such a beautiful place! Not that I’ve managed to go to Italy yet but if it’s as good as the photos then I know I’m in for a treat when I do eventually go 🙂
Great post! I visited Amsterdam last year and it is a fantastic city. Although I went in October and it was so cold! Dublin is on my bucket list too, hopefully we’ll both be able to cross it off our lists soon x
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Thank you Eve, I’m glad you enjoyed the read! I can’t wait to visit Amsterdam soon and hopefully Dublin won’t be too far away either. Hope you get to visit soon too 🙂
I love reading posts like this and dreaming of going on as many trips as possible!
I think you sometimes forget how many great places there are to visit in Europe. I love Dublin, and I am sure you would have a fab time if you get to visit. Rome just looks dreamy doesn’t it 😍, I was so jealous when my friend visited there last year.
Good luck in seeing as many of these places as you can!
Aimsy xoxo
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It’s such a relief to know I’m not the only one who enjoys reading posts like these! I’m always a little jealous when I see people going away to amazing places so this is like therapy to me. Hopefully I’ll get to visit some more soon 🙂
This is such a great list! I’ve been to Amsterdam and Dublin and really enjoyed both cities. I’m going to Italy next month to Sicily, I’d love to see places like Rome some day too, it sounds fabulous! Hope you get to visit everywhere you want to see 😘 xx
Bexa | http://www.hellobexa.com
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It seems like a lot of people have gone to Amsterdam and Dublin so it’s good to know others have the same idea as me! Wow I hope you have an amazing time in Sicily and don’t forget to take loads of photos 🙂
First off, totally jealous / inspired by you already planning to take two solo trips on your own. I hope to be that brave someday! And second, Dublin and Edinburgh are also on my personal list! Maybe they’re close enough to swing both in the same trip…?
Sinéad | http://www.sincerelysinead.com
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Haha yeah those two were both quite spontaneous bookings but I honestly can’t wait to go! It does get some getting used to but I love travelling solo. Sadly I couldn’t do Edinburgh and Dublin at the same trip due to work but I bet you could make it happen 🙂
I’ve visited all of these countries and would reccomend them all for a weekend break! Cool post, excited to see some travel blogs!
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That’s good to hear Gary, I’m always on the lookout for weekend city breaks due to working full time whilst still wanting to travel 🙂